Despite algorithmic advancements and technology developments, a "cure" for type 1 diabetes has always felt just out of reach. For years, we've heard a cure will be here in 5 to 10 years… However, Patti Columbe, patient 7 at the Chicago site of the Vertex VX-880 trial, is living it. Patti received a lab-grown islet cell transplant in February 2025, after 40 years with type 1 diabetes, and has been living insulin-free for over a year. She came on the podcast to talk through diagnosis at age eight, four decades of evolving diabetes tech, and what it's actually like to let go of a disease she never expected to lose.

The VX-880 trial is transplanting stem cell-derived (lab-grown) islet cells into 52 participants across multiple sites, rather than relying on cadaveric islets from deceased donors. Patti takes two traditional immunosuppressants, Prograf and mycophenolate, twice daily to keep her new cells alive. She's on a five-year CGM-wear requirement as part of the trial, though her surgeon has told her not to bother looking at the numbers anymore. Her most recent A1C: 5.7%.

In this podcast we hear Patti’s candid experience getting rejected from the trial, the emotional weight of asking her body to trust itself again after 40 years, and what it means to no longer be covered under the ADA. This one gets emotional, you don't want to miss it.

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